The City of San Antonio is gearing up to accept bids from service providers for a $500,000 fund aimed at expanding access to reproductive health care.
While much of City Council’s discussion revolved around the most controversial service the Reproductive Justice Fund might pay for — travel for out-of-state abortions — most of the money will be used for other preventative services related to economic stability, contraceptives and youth sex education.
What the fund will ultimately be used for will depend on which companies or agencies apply for funding, the strength of their submission and a City Council vote slated for February, said Junda Woo, medical director of the city’s health department.
“People may bid on some of these, none of these, all of these — they may have different ideas,” Woo told council members during a pre-solicitation briefing Tuesday. “We’re showing the community where the gaps are and we’re asking the community to come to us with specific [proposals]”.
A clear majority of council members supported the fund as proposed and several wanted the city to expedite the process.
Councilmen Marc Whyte (D10), John Courage (D9) and Manny Pelaez (D8) said they would not support contracts that use public dollars to fund transportation for out-of-state abortions.
The request for proposals is slated to be released on Monday.
Up to $200,000, or 40%, of the $500,000 fund is set aside for direct services such as emergency contraception, sexually transmitted infection test kits, home pregnancy tests and out-of-state travel to obtain an abortion.
Just 10% of the funding — $50,000 — is set aside for addressing the so-called “upstream,” or the root causes of limited access to reproductive health such as housing and food insecurity, addressing. The “midstream” needs such as sex education and service navigation will receive 50% or $250,000.
Councilwoman Teri Castillo (D5), who proposed the fund last year as part of the city’s fiscal year 2024 budget in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s revoking the federal right to an abortion, said the process has “dragged out” without a sense of urgency.
Both Woo and City Manager Erik Walsh said the administration will look for ways to shorten the timeline. As currently proposed, the funding wouldn’t be allocated until early 2025.
“We’ve never gone through this before,” Walsh said. “If we get good, solid proposals, we can move quickly.”
Battle in the courts
Nearly all abortions are banned in Texas, with narrow exceptions to save the pregnant person’s life or prevent “substantial impairment of a major bodily function.”
The city’s $3.7 billion fiscal year 2024 budget approved in September included the controversial Reproductive Justice Fund.
At the time, it was unclear whether that money could go to groups that help people access medical abortions through the mail or travel out of state to receive abortions.
About 35,500 Texans traveled for abortion in 2023, according to abortion advocacy organization Guttmacher.
San Antonio Family Association, Texas Right to Life and other anti-abortion plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in October against the City of San Antonio as well as Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Walsh in their official capacities, arguing that the fund would violate the state’s abortion law, which allows anyone to file civil lawsuits against individuals or groups who assist people in getting an abortion.
A judge dismissed the case in April, but the group is appealing that ruling, Patrick Von Dohlen of the Family Association said.
“We will continue filing appeals all the way to the state Supreme Court, and if it goes to the United States Supreme Court, we will continue doing that,” he said.
Under current law, it is not illegal to pay for someone’s transportation out of state to obtain an abortion, according to Woo, but it is possible that could change.
“Our attorneys are constantly monitoring to make sure that it’s still allowed by law,” Woo told reporters.
